


Interlude 3

by alicecrow6



Series: An ever growing family of Bats and Birds [9]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Green Arrow (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Lian Harper, Batkids Age Reversal, Chris Kent is Nightwing, Chris Kent/Damian Wayne mentioned, Damian Wayne is Red Hood, Damian Wayne-centric, Gen, Lian Harper is Arsenal, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:40:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28868679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alicecrow6/pseuds/alicecrow6
Summary: Interlude 3Damian Wayne- Red Hood (19)Lian Harper- Arsenal (22)Chris Kent- Flamebird (21)Damian, run out of Gotham and completely down on his luck accidentally meets a fellow fuck up.
Relationships: Chris Kent & Damian Wayne, Chris Kent & Jonathan Samuel Kent, Chris Kent & Lian Harper, Chris Kent & Lian Harper & Damian Wayne, Emiko Queen & Lian Harper, Lian Harper & Damian Wayne
Series: An ever growing family of Bats and Birds [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1998205
Comments: 39
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

Damian took a long sip of his drink, his eyes sweeping over the room as he tried to find all the exits in case anything went down.

“Well well well, if it isn't the famous fallen Blackbird,” a voice said from beside him, her words slurred slightly. 

Damian looked her over, everything from her black hair to her calloused hands. He knew who she was as well as she knew who he was. 

“Well well well, if it isn't the less famous failed Speedy” Damian bit back.

Lian threw her head back and laughed.

Her laugh was bitter, poison taken form as it tried to curl around him and burn.

Damian grinned back and took another long sip of his drink.

Lian eventually fell silent and the two simply sat in each other's company, enjoying the chance to finally be with someone who understood.

“So, what are you doing here? Heard you normally stick to operating in Gotham,” Lian finally asked.

“Was driven out by the rest of the bats, apparently they don't like my idea to control crime,” Damian shrugged. 

Lian nodded sympathetically, patting his back.

“That’s too bad, heard about you killing the clown and can't say I blame you. God knows I'd have done the same,” Lian’s smile is a touch too sharp as Damian narrows his own eyes at her.

“Heard you got kicked out for getting mixed up with drugs,” Damian replied.

“What? You gonna act all high and mighty on me?” Lian’s voice got angry and Damian knew instantly that he’d made a mistake. 

“I’m a drug lord,” Damian said dryly trying to show her he meant no offense. Lian calmed considerably at his reply.

“You know what? Good fucking point,” Lian brought up her drink and Damian obligingly hit his own against hers.

By the time the two of them were finished for the night, they were both considerably drunker.

“I’ve- I’ve just had the best idea,” Damian stumbled slightly over his words.

“Tell meeee,” Lian took no notice of this misstep and instead focused all her attention on his new idea

“We should totally make a team, really spit on all those assholes for tossing us away,” Damian said sagely. 

Lain paused. She took a moment to think it over before answering.

“Damian, Damian, Damian, you are a fucking genius,” Lian wrapped an arm around Damian’s neck and Damian took her extra weight with good grace.

“I know,” Damian said brightly, Lian leaned over and smacked him on the back of his head for the remark.

By the time morning had come both of them had come up with an extensive list on how the whole team thing would work.

Hungover Lian and Damian were kinda impressed.

“I’m still totally down if you are,” Lian said as she put down a paper with options of where to put a base.

“Oh for sure,” Damian said with a grin.

Lian grinned back and the two spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find out what the fuck drunk them had written down.

“Hey get a load of this, apparently we put down Chris Kent as a potential teammate and the only reason we put for why was ‘hot’” Lian said as giggled hysterically.

“Drunk you must be horny,” Damian said in amusement.

“Dude this isn't even my handwriting,” Lian shook her head in mock disappointment as Damian jumped over to her to see if it was true.

“What the fuck?” Damian asked, utterly mystified.

Lian finally broke down laughing.

After two whole minutes where Lian would try to calm herself before looking at Damian’s completely unimpressed face and starting up again, they finally got things back on track.

“You know, you’re not wrong, he is pretty hot. Fuck I definitely wouldn't mind having him as a teammate. And not just because of the abs” Lian grinned up at him as Damian made a face.

“Your right, it would be very useful to have a super on our side,” Damian finally relented as Lian cheered.

Two days later and an unamused looking Chris was sitting on their couch.

“Shouldn't you two be interviewing Jonno instead of the adopted son?” Chris asked, his eyebrows raised.

“We want you precisely because you're the adopted son,” Damian said bluntly.

Chris blinked at that.

“Oh yeah? And why's that?” Chris leaned forward, his elbow on his knee as he leaned his chin on his hand, curling up awkwardly to fit into that position while sitting on a couch.

Lian cut a laugh in half by coughing instead.

“Son of Talia al Ghul,” Damian pointed to himself.

“Daughter of Jade Nguyen” Damian pointed at Lian and Lian gave a small wave, her grin stretching across her face.

“Son of General Zod,” Damian pointed at Chris.

Chris stared at the finger for a moment before following it up to Damian’s face.

“Oh this is gonna piss off Clark so much,” Chris whispered in glee.


	2. Chapter 2

Damian was in love.

He knew it to be true due to the way his pulse quickened and his hands trembled.

Damian was sure that if he was able he would spend the rest of his mortal life worshiping and admiring the love of his life.

“Please stop looking at the sword like that, it’s freaking me out,” Chris whispered from behind him. Lian laughed but Damian knew she had no room to judge seeing as she was currently eyeing up a bow and arrow set on the other side of the room.

“No, beauty should be admired and I am simply doing my civic duty,” Damian said crossly, unashamed for his blatant admiration.

“It’s a sword,” Chris deadpanned.

“It’s a work of art, just look at its craftsmanship!” Damian defended angrily.

“You know, honestly speaking Dami’s got a point. It’s gorgeous,” Lian jumped in.

“Thank you Lian,” Damian smiled thankfully at her and Lian smirked back.

“Your both ridiculous,” Chris sighed.

“And you're uneducated,” Damian shot back.

“I am not uneducated!”

“Oh yeah? Then why can't you see the absolute elegant blade and it’s-” Damian was unfortunately cut off by the sound of a cough from behind him. Damian turned around to be faced with the apologetic face of one Jon Kent.

“Um, sorry to bother you but you're disturbing our mission,” all three of them groaned at the sight of him.

“Oh god it’s him,” Lian whined.

“Think if we ignore him he’ll go away?” Damian smirked, always down to fuck with the goody-two-shoes.

“Ignore who,” Chris chimed in, a teasing grin on his face.

Jon’s face went red with rage but Damian, Lian, and Chris were far too busy making fun of him to notice.

“Damian for the love of god please stop being an asshole for once in your life and just leave,”

“Hey fuck you!” Lian shouted.

“Back off Speedy I’m not talking to you right now,” Jon barely spared her a glance.

“Have you perhaps thought that maybe we are in the middle of a mission as well?” Damian interrupted before Lian could challenge a Kryptonian to battle in public.

“What could you possibly be doing in a museum? My team was already hired to protect it,” Jon asked, confusion coloring his voice.

“Why to steal from it of course,” Damian said good-naturedly.

Chris and Lian took this as their cue and not even a second later and Chris was already speeding away with their prize as both Lian and Damian disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Two hours later and all three of them were back on Al Ghul Island laughing their asses off.

“Oh my god, the look on poor Jonno’s face, when you said you were robbing the place, was priceless,” Chris wheezed. 

“He must have been so confused!” Lian crowed in.

The two continued giggling as Damian quietly examined the vase.

“I can't believe that they didn't do a background check on their client,” Damian interrupted, concerned and worried.

“Oh calm down Damian, you don't know because you weren't a part of it but everyone knows Young Justice is incompetent,” Lian said, only half joking.

“But Jon isn't,” Damian frowned.

“You have far too much faith in my brother,” Chris rolled his eyes.

“Still, I suppose we should send over our research so they don't think we just stole a priceless artifact for shit’s and giggles,” Damian said firmly.

“But we did it for that too?” Lian grinned.

“Well, yes, but they don't need to know that,” Damian rolled his eyes at them, watching fondly as both Chris and Lion giggled at the situation they had found themselves in.

“True,” Chris eventually relented.

One evil vase destroyed and two separate messages later (one to Young Justice and the other to the actual Justice League) and everyone was just about ready to turn in for the night.

Except for one slight problem.

The five furious sidekicks sitting on their couch.

“You could have told us,” Jon said firmly, his arms crossed.

“Would you have believed us?” Chris asks drily.

“Of course I would have fucking-” Jon tried to say before Chris cut in.

“See that’s funny because the last time I told you something you very much did not believe me at all” was one conversation taking place.

Another was between Lian and Emiko.

“See you're still a druggie,” Emiko said disdainfully.

“See you're still a bitch,” Lian shot back, eager for blood.

And the last was between Damian and the other three members.

“So like, your Batman’s greatest failure right?” one particularly stupid hero asks.

Damian decides right then and there that he’s gonna fuck their shit up.

Both Jon and Emiko are distracted from their conversations by the pained yelp of their teammates.

“Leave,” Damian says firmly from where he’s seated on a recliner, the unconscious bodies of their teammates on the floor before him.

“I know we don't know each other that well, but you don't have to act this way, your better than that,”

“Your right, we don't know each other that well,” Damian said coldly.

Jon sighed in disappointment before picking up his sleeping teammates. He nods goodbye to Chris which he completely ignores.

“Watch your back, Harper! I will fuck your shit up!” Emiko yells as she hurried after Jon.

“Oh pipe down Emi,” Lian rolls her eyes.

The three Outlaws watch them go.

“So what’s up with you and Emiko?” Chris finally asks after a long silence.

“She thinks she’s better than me when she is most assuredly not. Plus her mom might be a villain but she’s a no-name one,” Lian says scornfully.

Damian snorts, nodding in agreement.

“What about you and Mr. Perfect,” Lian asks, her eyes drifting away from where Young Justice had disappeared from to glance at Chris.

“We were really close when we were young, but shit happens and you grow apart even when you really don't want to,” Chris shrugs awkwardly, his grin bitter.

“At least none of my family is in that team,” Damian says, trying to dissipate the tension.

“Please, everyone knows that every team you bats enter you have to be the leader of. You guys would never settle for letting Jon be in charge,”

“Your right, if Duke or Harper joined they would plan and enact a coup in less than 24 hours,” Damian said fondly, wistful longing undercutting his words.

Both Chris and Lian look at each other in concern.

“I'm pregnant,” Lian tells them one night, eyes dazed.

“Are you on drugs right now?” Damian asks, barely looking up from his magazine.

“I can't do drugs right now because I’m pregnant and I don't want to hurt the baby,” Harper says sharply, her eyes focusing so she can look into Damian’s very soul. Damian is at once on alert.

“You're sure?” Chris asks, jumping into the conversation.

“Yes I’m fucking sure,” Lian hisses.

“I’m just trying to make sure!” Chris defends, his hands waved out in front of himself.

“Lian, you are aware of the problems that a pregnancy can cause are you not? And I’m not just talking about superhero business. I am very much referencing your heroin addiction,” Damian says before the two can dissolve the conversation any further.

“Yeah I know,” Lian said shortly.

“You don't have to have the baby,” Chris is quick to reassure.

“I- I want to,” Lian tells them. She looks away, almost like she expects them to laugh or tell her off.

“What do you need from us?” Chirs asked, his support at the ready.

“I don't know. Love? Support? Help? That’s the thing most people talk about when they mention kicking an addiction right?” Lian panics. Damian takes her hands into his own.

“Normally yes but you're going to go through withdrawals while pregnant and neither Chris nor I are equipped to handle such a thing” Damian rubs her hand comfortingly.

“We could all go to rehab together?” Chris says, spitballing ideas.

“You two don't even have addictions,” Lian laughs, her fears wavering at Chris’s ridiculous ideas.

“No wait, hear me out. Damian could totally make it seem like we have a convincing drug addiction so we could be with you every step of the way!” Chris says excitedly, already on board with this idea.

Damian considers it for a moment.

“He’s not wrong,” Damian finally concludes, trying to see the logistics of such a thing.

“You’d do that? For me?” Lian’s voice is quiet, awed and hesitant.

“Of course, you may be an arrow, but you're an Outlaw too,” Chris says without any doubt. 

Damian nods his support, leaving the comforting words to Chris who clearly knows what he’s doing.

Lian smiles at them, her eyes tearful but hopeful as she rests a trembling hand on her stomach.

“You two definitely get uncle rights at this rate,” Lian says only half-joking.

“Really?” Chris asks, already completely on board.

“Of course we do we are-” Damian tries to say.

“Can we help pick the name?” Chris jumps, childlike excitement coloring their voice.

Damian groans as Lian laughs.


	3. Chapter 3

“He’s beautiful,” Lian whispers, her voice awed.

Chris looks on with wide eyes as the baby whimpers. He turns to Damian, a question in his gaze.

Damian snorts, shaking his head no.

Chirs smiles in relief, happy to know that both Lian and the baby were fine.

“What’s his name?” Chris asks excitedly.

“Roy, his name is Roy Harper,” Lion answers, her eyes never leaving the baby's little body.

“Not Queen? Or Nguyen?” Damian asks, his grin teasing as Lian glares at him.

“He’s my baby, he'll take my last name,” she says firmly. She holds him tightly to his chest and Damian gives a breathy laugh.

“I personally think Chris is a great name,” Chris feels the need to add.

“I’m not naming my child Chris,” Lian says tiredly, they’ve had this conversation twelve times already.

“Honestly Kent, if she was going to name her baby after anyone it’d be me for sure,” Damian adds with a huff.

“Bullshit, she definitely likes me more,” Chris raises his chin in defiance.

“Don't make me laugh, I’m her best friend,” Damian says snobbishly.

Lian listens to their conversation, her chest shaking with repressed laughter.

Little Roy makes a sound of disconnect and everyone immediately stops.

They wait until he goes back to sleep before daring to talk again.

“You know what this means though right?” Lian says finally, breaking the silence.

“Yeah,” Chris agrees sadly. Damian blinks at both of them, confused.

“I’m not sure I follow,” he says.

“I’m leaving the Outlaws, I need to focus on parenting my kid for a while. Plus, I think it’s time I talked with Oliver,” Lian looks down at Roy and shifts him higher in her arms.

“I need to go too, my birth parents are causing trouble, and Clark and I are long overdue for a therapy session,” Chris looks away from Damian, his eyes wandering to the window.

Damian- Damian’s overcome with the realization that he’s alone again. That he’s nothing more than what he started as. It's a horrifying revelation and it makes him want to kick and scream.

He had thought- he had thought that he had finally found his place in the world, but it’s being upended like it always is.

“I see,” Damian says softly. He turns away from the two for a moment, takes a deep breath, before turning back around with an arrogant smirk sitting on his face.

“Well, it was fun while it lasted but you're right, dear old dad must be missing me and god knows that Duke and Harper could use some fun in their lives,” Damian tells them. Lian and Chris look at each other before turning to smile at Damian.

“If you ever need some help or just someone to listen you know who to call,” Chris says firmly before waving goodbye, disappearing in a whirl of wind.

Lian curses him out as the disturbance wakes Roy up. He cries and screams with all the rage his tiny little body can hold as his mother tries desperately to calm him down.

Damian takes his own leave while she’s distracted. 

No use working her up, she knows how to find him if she ever needs help anyway.

Damian walks the streets aimlessly, his footsteps light as a feather.

He walks and walks and walks all the way to the nearest bus stop.

He pauses.

He’s struck as he looks at the times for the next bus to Gotham.

Maybe it was time to go home.

Maybe it was time to give being a Gotham hero another chance.

Maybe it was time to see his family again.

Damian buys a ticket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND SO COMES AN END TO DAMIAN'S TIME WITH THE OUTLAWS.
> 
> Up next comes the second generation,
> 
> Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain


End file.
